ESTIMATION OF RAY EFFECT AND FALSE SCATTERING IN APPROXIMATE SOLUTION METHOD FOR THERMAL RADIATIVE TRANSFER EQUATION

Abstract

The ray effect and false scattering are the two major discretization errors in the approximate solution method for the radiative transfer equation (RTE). Four typical numerical methods—the finite-volume method (FVM), the discrete ordinates method (DOM), the discrete transfer method (DTM), and the Monte Carlo method (MCM) are selected to examine the ray effect and false scattering. Physical models of a two-dimensional enclosure containing semitransparent medium with parallel and oblique laser incidence are constructed, and false scattering is investigated through comparing the temperature profile. The ray effect is investigated through comparing the net heat flux at the boundary. Simulation results show that false scattering exists in the FVM and DOM but do not exist in the DTM and MCM, and there is less in the FVM than in the DOM; the ray effect exists in the FVM, DOM, and DTM, but does not exist in the MCM. In addition, the effect of discrete solid angle number in the FVM and DTM is studied, and the effect of optical thickness is also investigated.

This work was supported by a grant from the Key Program of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 50336010) and China National Key Basic Research Special Funds (973 Program) (No. 2003CB214500).